The Question of Sino-phobia

Tania Chen Barbachano
Traduction: Maggie Langenfeld
La Jornada Maya

Wendsday

The complexity of the relationship between the East and West is one of significant historical importance. In the 21st Century with the rise of China as a superpower that has the potential to overshadow the USA, and its political system as undemocratic and yet efficient in the advancement of Chinese society, the tables have turned. China is no longer ‘the sick man of Asia’.

Wuhan’s outbreak has shifted the landscape of society, much like the SARS virus that killed 650 people across China and Hong Kong. However, 18 years later since SARS, the repercussions have spread further into other spheres and across borders. It is not just human lives being lost, but the global economy is being squeezed by the current paralysis in China. Tourism in places like Thailand, a popular tourist destination for Chinese tourists, is being especially affected. In Japan, Nissan is halting operations due to shortages of parts from China.

Covid-19 disease or popularly known as corona virus due to the distinctive crown shape of the virus, has claimed over 1000 lives in mainland China, and has infected another 42,000 people. The capital, Beijing, has turned into all but a ghost town where although an official quarantine has not been imposed, most of its inhabitants have taken to working remotely to reduce the chances of coming into contact with anyone contagious.

The corona virus has taken human lives, and halted the growth of the Chinese economy since the public became aware. What else is being affected?
In times of crisis and panic, violence and prejudice are the first two human responses. To lay blame at someone else’s door and make the possibility of personal involvement as distant as possible. Crisis within borders usually target minorities first in such situations, but when crisis cross borders they become an issue of one nation versus another. Relations between China and the West, particularly the USA, have deteriorated rapidly throughout the last year, with tariffs imposed on Chinese imports and a quietly raging cold war taking place.

How then does the outbreak of corona virus affect the perceptions of Chinese worldwide? Corona virus has been marked by the media as an Asian sickness, a Chinese sickness, and the racism the follows is to be expected. Racism seems to spread faster than the virus. Old racist tropes that portray Asians foods and customs as unwelcome, unsafe and even dangerous, have made their way back into mainstream media.

In Sydney, Australia, an old Chinese man collapsed while having a heart attack and was left unattended because people were afraid of being infected. Australia has confirmed seven cases of Corona virus, all which are being treated and in isolation. So, why then was an innocent man who was free from infection left to die?

The answer is a combination of racism and fear.

In France, a newspaper used the term “Alerte Jaune” (Yellow Alert) in its editorial, bringing back another racist stereotype and while the newspaper has since apologised for this, the tide of racism faced by Asian people in France is on the rise.

The assumption that any and all who are infected must be Asian, which ignores the varied cultures that reside there and place all people of Asian origin under one ethnic category.

However, racism is not just present outside of Asian communities, but also within them. In Hong Kong, several shop and restaurant owners have put signs indicating that mainland Chinese are not welcome. Trending on twitter Japan has been the hashtag #ChineseDon’tComeToJapan. As China rises as a global power, tensions within Asia have given birth to this inter-Asian racism, and this crisis has exposed just how deep they run.

Social media has also proven to be another powerful vehicle for Sino-phobia and racism during this time. Rather than offering compassion, most Twitter tags are filled with racist rhetoric and stereotypes. ‘China stop eating everything that moves’, as well as other inflammatory comments about Chinese food and culture.

The virus originated from bats kept at a live animal market in Wuhan. These live animal markets are part of Chinese culture, housing a variety of wildlife species that are purchased for consumption in different dishes. However, in light of the corona virus outbreak it is very clear that these present a breeding ground for contagion.

While it is impossible to change cultural aspects that are deeply entrenched, better control and regulations of such markets should be enforced in order to prevent future outbreaks.

How to combat racism in these situations has a more elusive answer.

Certainly, in our day and age, social media has a crucial role to play. Historically, China has been placed in opposition to the West, and recently the trade war between the USA and China has driven Western media to be increasingly critical. This in turn has become a stepping stone for Sino-phobia and anti-Asian sentiment.

Racism has not been the only message making the rounds in social media. Places like Twitter and Facebook, as well as the Chinese based weblogging platform Weibo have also become a platform of criticism against China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The death of whistle blower Dr Li Wenliang has sparked an outrage among the Chinese like never before, many blame the government for handling the epidemic badly.

Demands for freedom of speech are on the rise.

Unfortunately, the line between facts and fiction is blurred with retweets/likes that lack credible sources, and these cost lives. Trending on Twitter is a fake video alleging that a woman was shot because she was infected in corona virus. The increased politicization of the situation has turned online news into a mixture of racism and anti-CCP sentiment.

Panic has now become a pandemic in itself that threatens to cause deeper divisions.

This is why the corona virus is not just a challenge for the Chinese healthcare system but also politically for the Chinese Communist Party. How to handle the crisis they face with their citizens’ outrage but, also, the perceptions abroad of China remains a major challenge. Reputations take years to build, but can be destroyed in a matter of minutes, and the long-term repercussions of the corona virus on a social scale are yet to be seen.

That is the power of racism in society.